Quincy Street Bistro will reopen this fall in south St. Louis

Quincy Street Bistro, a popular neighborhood bar and grill that closed about two years ago, will reopen with a new owner in the same location at 6931 Gravois Ave. in Princeton Heights, in late October or early November, as reported by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Owner Todd Tiefenauer decided to keep the name after identifying with the culture of the bistro. 

“A lot of what they were doing and the culture they had in place was very similar to the way I had envisioned running a restaurant,” he explained. “They were very active with the community; they sourced as much local as possible. Seeing the comments guests were leaving on social feeds [when the closure was announced], it felt like a very much a family neighborhood environment. … I’m not associated with the previous owners [who still own the building]; they’ve been gracious enough to let me open using the previous name [while leasing from them]." 

Working in the restaurant industry for almost 30 years at places like O’Charley’s, Applebee’s and Houlihans, Tiefenauer has wanted to start his own business surrounding what he is passionate about for some time.  

“I started out when I was 16 working in a restaurant in my little hometown [Fredericktown, Missouri],” Tiefenauer said. “I’ve always worked around food, and it always felt more like home.” 

As far as menu options, Tiefenauer plans to include many of the same items the menu formerly featured but add his own spin simultaneously. Some of the items he mentioned wanting to bring back include a BLT with fried green tomatoes, bread pudding and a brisket sandwich. 

“I found many different versions of the menu, so some of the stuff we bring back will be from throughout the restaurant’s history,” he said, adding it had been open about seven years. “We’re trying to recreate the best we can given the sources we have. I can’t guarantee that the items we bring back are going to have the same recipe necessarily, because I do want to put my own personal flavor into it, but it’s going to be very similar.” 

Upon opening initially, there is a plan in place to serve an array of menu items with even more options in the works. 

“We want to make sure we get as wide of a variety as we possibly can upfront,” Tiefenauer said. “We might only have like four or five of each kind of entree on the menu to start, but we do plan on expanding that once we are able to open up the menu a little more down the road.” 

Along with keeping the culture intact in keeping the name, Quincy Street Bistro will also maintain a similar rustic look. 

“When I actually made it into the building and looked around, it felt like home,” Tiefenauer said. “It felt like someplace that my friends and I would want to enjoy and come out and have a meal and spend time together. … They had a lot of their family pictures, so some will be replaced with my friends and family. I also volunteer with a local animal shelter and at the zoo, so I’ve collected a lot of décor and artwork over the years that speaks to that involvement, so you’ll see that as well.” 

Although Tiefenaur is waiting on liquor license approval before opening the dining room, he may open the restaurant for carryout a week or two prior.